State lawyers on Monday formally filed a petition to oust Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Guo Hua Ping (a.k.a. Alice Guo) from her post.

In a 46-page quo warranto petition, the Office of the Solicitor General asked the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 34 to declare Guo ineligible to hold office as mayor.

Under court rules, a quo warranto petition is filed by the government for the usurpation of a public office or position. It is used to resolve a dispute over whether a specific person has the legal right to hold public office.

Solicitor General (SolGen) Menardo Guevarra said Guo “is unlawfully holding the position and illegally exercising the duties and responsibilities of the Office of the Mayor of Bamban, Tarlac.”

“(S)he is not a Filipino citizen. She is a Chinese national. Thus, she is ineligible to run for any elective public office,” Guevarra said. “(S)he has committed acts which, by provision of law, constitute a ground for the forfeiture of her office. More specifically, she has committed acts of serious dishonesty which, under the local government code, warrant her removal from office.”

The suspended mayor and several others are facing human trafficking complaints before the Department of Justice.

The Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group filed the complaint against Guo and her co-accused for their alleged involvements in illegal Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators in her municipality. (PNA)